Air diverter



eb. l4 19150 L. c. REED 2,497,824

AIR DIVERTER Filed July 19, 1945 /ffl- 'myggy/lm) Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to ventilation in general, and more particularly to the control and/or diversion of air currents, having for its object to provide a construction which is simple in parts and eiicient in operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts as will be disclosed more fully hereinafter and particularly covered by the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of an apparatus made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of said apparatus, taken as on the line 2--2 of Fig.' 1 and .looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of one of the lower mountings for the air diverter, with parts broken away for clearer illustration;

` Fig. 4 is a top plan view of said mounting, said View being taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig, 5 is a detail view, partly in section, illustrating the operating means for adjusting the diverter; and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the means for locking the diverter in an adjusted position.

This apparatus, preferably, is to be used in conjunction with an air circulating fan whereby the'flow of the circulated air may be diverted in a desired direction, the apparatus being well adapted for installation in a wall opening, or at a strategic point in an air duct system.

The apparatus comprises a rectangular metallic frame having a top member 2, a bottom member 3, and two side members 4 and 5, the top member having a depending plate 6 and the bottom member having an upwardly extending plate 1, said plates disposed at the front of the apparatus and serving to cover or frame the upper and lower mountings of the air diverter. The two side members may have similar plates, or they may be disposed obliquely as clearly indicated 'in Figs. 3 and 4, in order to give a completely vframed and/or finished appearance to the apparatus when viewed from the iront.

An air circulating fan' (not illustrated but readily understood in this art) may be mounted within the connes of, and attached to, the said members 2, 3, 4 and 5, the depth of the frame from front to back being of no set dimension but rather in accordance with the nature of the air or ventilation system with which this air diverter (Cl. 1GO-178) is used. In other words, the depth of the frame may be only sufficient to contain the mountings for the air diverter, or may be extended to include the air fan and its mountings, or the members 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be the sides of an air conducting duct across which the diverter is positioned.

The diverter comprises upper and lower cylindrical shafts I0 and I I respectively, and a plurality of Vanes or louvers such as I2 spaced from each other by links such as I3, said louvers positioned serially between said shafts. More specically, each shaft is provided with diametrically disposed and outwardly extending pins such as I4 and I5 whose outer ends are pivotally connected as by the links I3 to the adjacent louver I2. the outward extent of said pins being in accordance with the width of said louver (see Fig. 2). The louver assembly may be compared to the assembly of slats of a Venetian blind, but diifers materially therefrom in that the individual louvers are rigidly though pivctally interconnected and hence move as a connected unity upon manual rotation of the bottom shaft, and by virtue of said rigid and positive interconnection said louvers are incapable of the loose slap t of the noisy Venetian blind.

The upper shaft is supported by two or more U-shaped hangers such as I6 secured to the top member 2 of the frame, and similarly shaped but inverted yoke members such as I'I are provided as bearings for the bottom shaft. In order that the entire louver assembly may be placed under tension at least sumcient to give the desired rigidity thereto to overcome the noisy looseness common to the Venetian blind, the lower shaft bearings I1 have outwardly extending or lateral ears such as I8 with apertures therein for sliding engagement on vertical bolts, rods or guides such as I9 secured to the bottom frame member 3, said ears being urged downward by the pressure. of coil springs such as 2li mounted on said guides, all as clearly indicated in the drawings. Thus it will be seen that this construction makes the lower shaft bearings floating in that they are not fixedly secured to the frame as are the top shaft bearings. If necessary, strips 2I of felt or other cushioning and/or sound absorbing material, may be mounted at strategic places in this apparatus.

Adjustment of the louvers may be accomplished by the provision of a handle or crank 25 having an end specially formed to coengage with a companion formation at the end of the bottom shaft. Such formation is illustrated ln the draw- 3 ings as comprising the diametric pin 26 carried by the shaft, and the bifurcated or forked end of the handle fitting or straddling said pin (see Fig. 5).

To maintain the louver assembly in its adjusted position, various means may be provided, a simple expedient being shown in Fig. 6 comprising a burr, rivet, teat, or other formation 21 protruding from the inner surface of the bearing I'l and adapted to .engage and/or seat in one vof a series of circumferentially spaced companion recesses such as 28 formed in the outer surface of the bottom shaft, the springs 20 permitting an upward yielding movement of the bearing .IJ to accommodate for the in-and-out registration of teat and recess during the turning .movement of the shaft.

The engagement of the individual'louver blades with the links can obviously be made1in several manners according to -the nature of the blades,

.wherefore latitude is desired in this respect, For

,illustrative purposes `only there is indicated a .Wooden .blade provided with a metallic clip 30 which .passes .almost completely around the blade, the yends of rthe clip having sharpened points which may be driven into the blade. The clip is of such dimension as to provide anopen eye, ring or loop .3i vwhere the clip is bent to pass .around each edge of the blade, and the hook tends of the links .I3 are engaged ,in these loops, ,all as clearly seen from Fig. 2.

The prime feature of Athis invention is the rigidity imparted to the louver assembly b y virtue of the mounting vof at least one shaft vin a floating bearing under spring tension operating in a direction Vtending to increase .the distance .between said shafts. In other words, the springs such as 20 operate to weld the blades i2 and links I3 into an integrated louver assembly, with no loose connections, thereby insuring quiet opieration. This construction in rfact causes each ,blade to become an ,integral member .of a Ichain, said chain comprising the links i3 and the eyes ,or loops 3i, the chain being constantly under applied tension by virtue .of the springs 20.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements vof parts without departing from the spirit of this invention, wherefore it is desired not to be limited to the exact foregoing disclosure ex- .ept as may be demanded by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In `an air diverter provided with an assembly .of louver .blades interconnected at their edges .by

links, the endmost links connected to upper and s llower shafts, the combination `of .a fixed bearing for one of the shafts, a floating bearing for .the other shaft, and pressure means for maintaining the floating bearing and louver assembly constantly under tension, the oating bearing comprising a yoke in slidable engagement with fixed guide members, the pressure means being carried by said guide members and operating upon said yoke.

2. `In an air diverter provided with an assembly .of louver blades interconnected at their edges by links, the endmost links connected to upper and lower shafts, the combination of a fixed 'bearing for one of the shafts, a fioating bearing for the other shaft, and pressure means for maintaining the floating bearing and louver assembly constantly under tension, the floating bearing com- Sill yconstantly under tension, the floating bearing slidable in a fixed mounting therefor, the pressure means comprising springs interposed between the oating bearing and its mounting.

4. In anair diverter provided with an assembly of 'louver blades interconnected at their edges by links, the endmost links connected to upper and lower shafts, the combination of a fixed bearing vfor onelof .the shafts, .a floating bearing .for

.the .other shaft, .operative vmeans to rotate one .of the shafts, and pressure means for maintaining .the l.floating bearing ,and louver assembly constantly under tension, .the fioating lbearing slidable .in a fixed mounting therefor, the .pressure means .comprising springs interposed `be Itween the oating bearing and its mounting,

.and coengag-ing means between one of the shafts and its bearing for securing 'the louver assembly in `.an .adjusted position created by the shaft rotation.

.5. In an air diverter provided with an assembly of .louver blades interconnected at their edges `by links, the endmost links connected to vupper and lower shafts, the vcombination of a 'fixed bearing for one Iof `the shafts, a floating bearing for the other shaft, operative means to rotate one of the shafts, and pressure means for maintaining the `floating bearing and louver assembly constantly under tension, .the floating bearing `slid.- able in a fixed mounting therefor, the .pressure means `comprising .springs interposed Vbetween the fioating bearing .and its mounting, and coengaging means between one of the shafts .and

its bearing for securing the louver assembly in an adjusted position created by 'the shaft rotation, saidv coengaging means .being responsive to said pressure means.

6.. A hold-down structure for an air diverter of a type similar' to a Venetian blind and provided with a shaft, said structure vcomprising fixed guide members, a yoke fitted over a portion of the shaft and having v`lateral extensions slidably engaging said guide members, and Apressure means carried by said guide members and operating upon said extensions of said yoke.

LYMAN C. REED.

REFERENCES 'CITED The follow-ing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

